Hidden in Hoyt Park
by my own patronus
Summary: Just over a year ago, Blaine came out to his parents. Words were screamed, objects thrown, and soon Blaine had left the Anderson house forever. Since then, he's been wandering through small-town Ohio, stopping for a few weeks or months at a time, scrounging for money and trying to find a job. But something about Lima seems different…. (homeless!Blaine)
1. Chapter 1

Just finished the epilogue and will be posting on tumblr tomorrow, so I decided to start posting this here, too. I'll be updating very regularly since this is complete (the only problem is that I don't log in here every day, so I might forget sometimes. I apologise in advance).

* * *

Blaine woke up as the sun rose higher into the sky. He supposed that he should be grateful for it, otherwise the crisp fall day might get a bit too cold and he wasn't prepared for that yet. But he couldn't help being a little annoyed that the sun's bright rays had interrupted the first really restful sleep he'd gotten in months.

Despite having been roaming the streets of Lima and the surrounding towns for close to a year, Blaine had never been to Hoyt Park before. But when he stumbled upon it in the early evening yesterday, he'd known it was going to be the perfect spot to sleep, at least for a while. Beyond the playground equipment and the tennis and basketball courts, across the soccer field, there was a small band of trees. Beyond those even, there was a small river (although, perhaps creek was a better word for it). It wound around the park and beyond, bubbling gently over small stones. There was a bridge over a wider section of the water and a small path alongside it. But what Blaine decided was his perfect place was hidden in there.

The dirt path didn't extend to the water's edge directly next to the bridge; the banks were too steep. Instead, they followed the tree line for about ten feet before slowly cutting down a much gentler slope where the ground evened out. In the pathless area on the right of the bridge, there was a good five feet or so of flat ground covered in soft grass. The bank was tall enough that Blaine could sit up and remain unseen. And the bridge provided cover in case it began to rain, or if Blaine just needed to store his bag for a moment.

All in all, it was perfect.

The grass was a more comfortable bed than Blaine had slept on since leaving home, and the slightly damp ground cushioned his tired body and heavy head. The boy had barely had time to fish his blanket out of his bag last night before he was asleep.

The water in the stream was clear as it bubbled past Blaine's head. He knew not to drink it, he wasn't that stupid, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to clean himself up a bit there.

Hiding under the cover of the bridge, Blaine stripped himself of his layers – boxers, jeans, sweatpants, and two pairs of socks adorned his lower half, while he wore an undershirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, and a rain jacket on top. He had another pair of jeans, a few extra socks and boxers, another t-shirt, and a sweater all packed in his duffel bag, but he was saving those for when the weather got really cold. As it was, Blaine only wore the sweatpants and sweatshirt at night. He didn't want to be completely shocked when the cold arrived, like he had been last winter.

Blaine used his undershirt and a bar of soap to wash the grime of the past few days off of his body. It was cold, but it felt refreshing to actually be clean – even if it was creek water.

Blaine felt about a million times better once he'd dried off, even if he was putting on the same dirty clothes that he'd been wearing for almost six days straight. Maybe he'd even splurge a bit and go to the laundromat today – he usually only went every other week, or less often if he didn't smell too bad.

He packed his blanket, soap, sweatshirt, and sweatpants into his duffel bag and checked to make sure that the rest of his possessions were still there, too. He didn't have too much, but what he did have was precious.

There were a few pictures, mostly of him and his family from when he was barely three years old. He had a few beat-up paperback _Goosebumps _books, two cans of soup, a loaf of white sandwich bread that was so loaded with preservatives it probably wouldn't ever start to mould, three chocolate chip granola bars, a half-empty water bottle, a dead cell phone, a toothbrush, a knit hat, and thin gloves. He also had a beat up pleather wallet in his back pocket that was home to a five dollar bill and three crumpled ones. He had a pocket full of change, too, that came from kind strangers who walked past him on the streets.

Blaine swung the bag over his shoulder and began to scramble up the bank and towards the centre of Lima.

* * *

Going to the laundromat was, oddly, one of Blaine's favourite activities. It was a 24 hour facility, so once it got to the really cold winter months, he could occasionally get away with sleeping inside the building. During the day, he could sit with his back to the dryers and enjoy the gentle hum and warm vibrations that soothed his exhausted body. He would curl up on the floor with one of his books and read, sometimes staying there for a few hours after his clothes had finished washing and drying.

But today, after Blaine's refreshing night spent at the creekside, he decided to cut his visit short. As soon as all his clothes were finished washing, he changed in the tiny bathroom in the back. Then he left to roam the streets.

Blaine had repeated this same process too many times to count since he'd left home. It was really disheartening after a few hours, so he could never go out two days in a row, and it was best to go out on days when he was feeling cheerful.

He would walk into every store and restaurant on whichever street he chose and ask if they were hiring at the moment. Most managers said no. Those who were hiring might ask for a resume, at which time Blaine would shake his head and walk out. Very few would pull out a hard copy of the job application and hand it to the boy. He would fill it out as best he could and turn it in, but Blaine was almost positive that all his applications ended up in the garbage.

Blaine had been living on the streets for over a year. He'd asked about well over a hundred jobs. No one ever gave him a chance.

No one wanted to hire a 17 year old high school dropout with no experience, no references, no address, and no phone number. The best Blaine could provide any potential employer with was an email address, but he was only occasionally able to check it at the library.

When Blaine stepped outside the laundromat, he looked around him, as if trying to gauge which direction might be the most promising. He took a sharp left turn and began to ask.

* * *

Four hours later, and Blaine had one application and at least twenty new rejections. He was feeling thoroughly downtrodden when he walked up to the Goodwill.

Blaine knew that he had to get new shoes at some point. His converse were about a size too small, and the rubber and canvas were separated to the point that one shoe was held together with duct tape. He definitely needed warmer shoes to deal with the upcoming Ohio winter.

Blaine browsed the racks before finding a warm pair of boots. They were light enough that he could wear them year-round, but they would definitely keep him warm in the winter.

The young black man working the register smiled at Blaine when he came up with the boots.

"Find everything okay?" the man, _Julian_ according to his name tag, asked.

"Uh, yeah," Blaine muttered. "Yeah, I did."

Julian smiled again. Blaine was unused to people looking at him without anger or pity. "That'll be $9.26," Julian said.

Blaine's heart dropped as he thought about the bills in his wallet. He dropped them on the counter before fishing out a large handful of change and beginning to count the pennies, nickels, and dimes.

Julian watched in silence for a minute. Just as Blaine was about to declare that he didn't need the boots, Julian finally spoke.

"Don't worry about it, kid," he said.

Blaine looked up in surprise, only to see Julian pull a credit card out of his wallet. "I – I don't, no – I mean, I can – um … thank you," Blaine stuttered.

"Are you okay, kid? I don't mean to pry, but you look like you've seen better days."

"I'm fine," Blaine said, pulling the boots close to him, and just wishing that he could get out of there. "I'm managing."

"Okay." Julian didn't look totally convinced. "Just be careful, okay?"

Blaine nodded and turned to go. Just as he reached the door, he heard Julian shout.

"Wait, kid! Hold up a minute!"

Blaine stopped and turned, terrified that Julian was going to take the boots back. Instead, the man ran up to him and thrust two pieces of paper in his hands.

The first was a crisp twenty dollar bill. The second was a post-it note with a number scrawled on it.

"That's my number. If you're ever in trouble, call me."

Blaine nodded his thanks before going outside. He walked in a stunned daze until he found a bench to collapse upon.

_Twenty _dollars. That could buy a real meal.

He laced up his new boots and thought about his options before turning back towards the centre of town.

* * *

Blaine didn't return to his hiding place beneath the bridge until the sky was dark and stars were beginning to emerge. In his hand, he carried two thirds of a pizza – hopefully it would be enough for tomorrow's lunch and dinner. Pizza had been such a refreshing change of pace from scraps and canned food.

He pulled on the sweatshirt and sweatpants, crawled under his blanket, and puffed up his bag as much as possible to make it into a pillow. Within a few minutes, Blaine was asleep.

* * *

Four weeks later, Blaine wasn't feeling as optimistic. He was still sleeping on the creek bed, but it was no longer the nice paradise that it had seemed those first few days. Since the temperatures had begun to drop, the ground grew firm with frost, and the grass and plants shrivelled.

Despite wearing all his layers all the time, Blaine was still freezing during the day. He had barely any money left – people weren't going outside as much, so sitting on a street corner was even less fruitful than usual – and his food supplies were dangerously low.

But Blaine still dragged himself up every day, even if he saw no reason to do so anymore.

Blaine had only been in Lima since early September. It was now almost December. In those weeks, he'd explored a good deal of the town, but there was still some undiscovered territory. As soon as Blaine had exhausted all the resources this town had to offer, he would have to move on. Yet there was something inside of him that was telling him to stay. Maybe it was because he had somewhere private to stay the nights, hidden from judging eyes under the bridge in Hoyt Park. Maybe it was because he still had Julian's number, even if he never planned to use it. Maybe it was the hopeless optimist inside of him that Blaine usually tried to suppress.

Blaine packed his bag and wandered past the high school, to the part of the downtown that he still hadn't wandered. He didn't bother trying to clean up at all. He was too tired and cold to care.

He tried about seven different shops and got nothing but poorly-masked disgust. Blaine was about to give up early for the day when he saw a "Help Wanted" sign in a window down the street. The fire within was rekindled, and he hurried into the gas station across the street.

Blaine bought a cheap box of crackers with the last of his change and asked for the key to the toilet. Inside, he washed himself as best he could. When he finally emerged, Blaine felt like a new man, even if he still looked just as pathetic as before.

Blaine nervously crossed the road. He could see now that the sign hung in the window of the shop part of a garage. Not exactly his skill set at all, but he was willing to do almost anything.

The bell chimed as a blast of warm air washed over Blaine when he walked into the empty shop.

Moments later, a balding, 40 year old man emerged from what must have been the back office.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyes narrowed slightly – whether in suspicion or confusion, Blaine wasn't sure.

"I saw the sign in your window. Do you still – I mean, are you still hiring?"

The man definitely looked surprised when he heard that. "How old are you?"

"S-seventeen."

"Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

Blaine gulped. "Sixteen's the legal age to drop out," he whispered.

"You know anything about cars?"

"Not really. My – uh, my father tried to fix one up with me a couple of years ago, but – we, uh, we never finished. But I'm willing to learn! Really, I'm a fast learner, and I'm good with working with my hands. I just really need a job."

The man's eyes raked over Blaine's body, taking inventory of the dirty layers, the duffel bag, the too-long hair, and the pinched cheeks.

Thinking he still needed convincing, Blaine spoke up again. "You don't even need to put me on payroll! You can just pay me in cash so you don't get taxed for it. And you can pay whatever. I really don't need a lot of money - $20 a day. I won't be a burden on your shop or anything."

The man nodded slowly.

"Alright, kid, how 'bout this: you work here today, and then we decide if you're going to be a good fit. Sound good?"

"That's perfect, sir. Thank you so much."

"No problem," he gruffly replied. "I'm Burt Hummel."

"Blaine Anderson."

* * *

At the end of the day, Burt walked over to where Blaine was taking inventory of the tires. The boy had been working tirelessly at the inventories for the past four hours, and making good progress, too.

"Closing time, kid," he said.

Blaine jumped slightly, obviously not having noticed the older man walking up behind him.

"You did a good job today."

Blaine ducked his head slightly, unused to praise.

"Why don't you come with me to the office so we can get you set up with some hours here."

Blaine's face lit up. "Really?"

Burt chuckled slightly. "Really."

* * *

Burt knew that there was something the boy wasn't telling him, but he could also sense that it wasn't anything dangerous. Hopefully if he proved that he was trustworthy, Blaine might open up to him.

And it was true that keeping Blaine off the books would save him a bit of hassle.

"So," Burt said as he settled in behind the desk. "I'm thinking that we'll probably need you here three or four days a week. You can take Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 to 6 each day."

Blaine nodded in agreement.

"I'm thinking we can do $8 an hour, and -"

"No, please," Blaine said. "That's too kind. I really can't take that money from you. I said before that I'm happy working for $20 a day, and I meant it."

"That's less than minimum wage, kid. That's illegal!"

"But – I know I'm totally unqualified for this job, and I'm probably doing stuff that you could handle without me. I don't want you to waste any money on me."

Burt looked down at the pleading kid and realised something. If he didn't agree, then the kid would be uncomfortable. At least if Burt played by Blaine's rules, he could keep an eye on him.

"Fine," he finally said. "$20 a day. But if you ever want a pay raise or need any extra cash, just come to me, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine's quality of life had improved greatly since starting work at Hummel Tire and Lube. With the money he was earning, he was able to eat three solid meals a day, buy more clothes, wash his clothes more frequently, and take out a casual membership to a fitness centre so he could shower. Even though he was still sleeping by the creek, Blaine could find very little in his life to complain about.

About two weeks after starting, Blaine met Burt's sons. They had a few weeks off of school for winter break, and had been forced to go in to the shop since their parents wanted to keep them relatively active during their time off.

He was introduced to Finn first. The older boy's size alone made him an imposing figure to Blaine, but he quickly realised that Finn was a gentle giant.

Everyone seemed very nervous when they announced that Kurt was coming next. Blaine was confused by the protective glances until he saw the boy. When everything clicked into place, Blaine could have laughed.

The boy was so obviously gay, and Burt wanted to make sure that Blaine wasn't some big homophobe who was going to do or say something to Kurt. Blaine was dumbfounded by Burt's response, but ignored it for the moment as he spoke with Kurt.

He could see himself becoming close friends with Kurt. They shared so many of the same interests, even though Kurt was a bit more of a stereotype than Blaine was. They chatted and laughed all through Blaine's lunch break, and when Blaine complimented Kurt on his cardigan (something Blaine might have coveted in another life), Kurt suggested they go shopping together. Blaine hesitated, fighting within himself, and Kurt winced.

"Sorry. That's way too gay, isn't it?" he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most straight guys don't care so much about shopping, and here I am taking your kindness and trying to force you into something…"

"No, no, Kurt, you're not," Blaine said. "And, believe me, it's really not too gay for me."

"Really?"

"Well, considering that I _am _gay, there are very few things that fall into the 'too gay' category for me."

Kurt's jaw dropped.

"I was only hesitating because I don't exactly have a ton of money to spare," Blaine explained to fill Kurt's silence. _I don't really have _any_ money to spare_, he amended in his head.

"You're gay?"

"Now I _know _you don't have a problem with that," Blaine joked back.

"No, I just – you're the first gay teenager I've met here."

"I – really?"

Kurt nodded. "I just assumed that I'd have to wait until college before more guys started coming out."

"Yeah, well not everyone's as stupid as me," Blaine muttered without thinking.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Blaine said, shaking his head as he tried to cover his slip. "I don't know how it is at your school, but coming out wasn't the best idea there for me."

Kurt nodded knowingly. "Is that why you dropped out?"

Blaine paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah," he said, trying not to feel guilty for all the half-truths he was feeding Kurt.

* * *

Burt watched the two boys with a bemused expression. He'd been a little concerned that Blaine might react badly to Kurt – he was a good kid, but Kurt didn't have a good track record with teenage boys in the area. But the two boys had taken to each other immediately, and were now gabbing like old hens. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he walked into the office to talk to them.

Blaine immediately jumped to his feet. "I'm so sorry, Burt!" he exclaimed. "I completely lost track of time! I'll get back to work now, and I can come in tomorrow to make up for it."

"Blaine," Burt said firmly, shutting the boy up. "It's fine. I was actually just coming to ask if you'd like the afternoon off? There's not a lot to do today, so Finn can pick up where you left off."

Blaine looked unsure. "Would that – I mean – you don't mind?"

"Kid, I'm the one _offering_," Burt said with a laugh. "Why don't you and Kurt go off to get some lunch or something – keep chatting – but not taking up _my _office space, okay?"

Blaine blushed and nodded as he stood up.

"Oh," Burt said, and he walked over to the safe before extracting a twenty from inside. "Here's for today."

"But -"

"Just take it."

* * *

Kurt looked questioningly at Blaine's duffel bag as they walked to his car in the parking lot.

"I'm, uh, crashing on a friend's couch while my – my parents are, uh, out of town," Blaine lied quickly.

The two boys went to a small deli for lunch before continuing on to the mall. Kurt took Blaine around to all his favourite stores, but never managed to succeed in convincing him to buy something. At the end of the day, they returned to Kurt's car, and the older boy turned to face Blaine expectantly.

"Well?" Kurt asked.

"What?"

"Where am I taking you? What's your friend's address?"

Blaine blanked. "Um, you can just drop me at your dad's shop and I can walk," he said.

"Blaine, it's dark and cold outside. I'm not making you walk."

"Really, Kurt, it's okay. I usually walk home from work anyway. And I need to pick up dinner anyway."

But Kurt wasn't budging. He even offered to drive Blaine to pick up food.

"Fine," Blaine eventually conceded. He directed Kurt first to a pizza place near the shop and then to an apartment complex he remembered from one of his many canvasses of the town.

"Thanks for the ride," he said as he jumped out. As soon as Kurt's car faded into the darkness, Blaine turned on his heel and walked back to the creek and the bridge.

* * *

When Kurt finally returned home that night, Burt pulled him into the family room alone to talk.

"Listen, bud, I'm not asking you to spy or anything, but did you learn anything about Blaine? The kid just – he worries me."

Kurt nodded his head in agreement. "Me too. But he didn't say much. He told me that he dropped out of school because he was teased so much for being gay, and I get the impression that his parents don't exactly approve of that either, but he was pretty closed off."

"Hmm," Burt mused. "I can't say I expected _that_, but it does explain a lot."

* * *

Burt held a small Christmas party at the garage every year on December 23rd for the employees and their families. He was surprised when he saw Blaine walk down the sidewalk alone, but then remembered what Kurt had said about his parents.

Blaine had been saving up his money from the shop in order to give himself a Christmas gift. He'd checked into a cheap motel that morning and had enough to pay for four nights there without starving. It was his first time sleeping in a real bed, in a real room, with a TV and personal shower and toilet in over a year, and he was soaking up every minute of it.

Blaine was gorging himself on cheese and homemade cookies when Kurt walked over to him, dragging a nicely dressed black girl behind him.

"Hi Blaine!" he called over the music and chatter that filled the shop.

"Hey," Blaine said. "You look great, as usual."

"You don't clean up too bad, either, Anderson," Kurt joked back. Secretly, Blaine was pleased. All his clothes were second-hand, but he had been very proud of what he'd been able to scrounge up at Goodwill. Tonight, he was wearing a pair of slim-fitting black jeans and a mint green and white striped oxford.

"This is Mercedes," Kurt said, breaking Blaine's train of thought as he pulled the girl forward. "She's my best friend and in glee club with me and Finn."

"Nice to meet you," Blaine said politely, holding out a hand.

"I've heard _all _about you," Mercedes said rather suggestively. Kurt immediately turned beet red as he pushed her lightly to get her to stop talking.

"Are your parents here?" Kurt asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ah – no," Blaine said. "They're off doing their thing."

"That's too bad," Mercedes said. "Families should stick together at the holidays."

Blaine scoffed. "Try telling them that."

"What are your Christmas plans, Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Watch _It's A Wonderful Life _and eat too much, just like every year," Blaine said swiftly, as that was, for once, the full truth.

Kurt seemed satisfied with the answer and didn't pursue the topic any further.

Around 11, Blaine decided that he probably had to go so he wouldn't be out walking too late.

"Do you need a ride?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head. "It's really not a long walk at all, Kurt."

"Blaine, it's 11 at night and _freezing_. Let me drive you home."

"I'm – uh – I'm not going home until Christmas. I'm crashing with my friend again so I can avoid my parents," Blaine swiftly lied.

Kurt nodded, but he didn't look totally convinced.

"Merry Christmas!" Kurt said as Blaine ran through the lightly falling snow.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt!"

* * *

Blaine saw much less of Kurt and Finn once school started again in January. Kurt still made it his goal to stop by the shop every afternoon that Blaine was working, and he would pop in for a few hours on Saturday.

One Wednesday in the middle of January, Blaine stayed late to help Burt close up at the end of the day. By the time he started for 'home' – his spot on the creek bank – it was eerily dark outside.

Blaine tried to shake off the feeling that someone was watching him as he walked through the downtown, but the hairs on the back of his neck were beginning to prickle. He increased his speed a bit and pulled his jacket and bag closer to his chest.

When Blaine turned sharply at the next corner, he almost crashed into three men loitering outside the empty storefront.

"Well, well, well … what do we have here?"

Blaine gulped, but stayed silent as he tried to walk around them. They blocked his way and laughed at his attempts.

"Where're you going?"

"My parents are expecting me home soon," Blaine lied in a small voice.

"Bullshit. I've seen you before, kid."

All colour drained from Blaine's face.

"He's been sleeping in the park over by Hoyt Street. I've seen him."

"Is that so?"

"Well I guess no one will miss him then."

Blaine felt them trying to pry his bag from his hands, so he tightened his grip even more. But with a swift punch to his stomach, his grip loosened and the bag disappeared.

He heard one searching through his bag for anything that could be valuable while the other two advanced on him.

The punches and kicks came faster than Blaine could react. He fell to the ground, curling up to avoid the pain. Blaine could feel the snow on the ground soaking his clothes, and shivers began to run up and down his body. His vision swam before his eyes, before it all turned black.

Blaine woke some time later. His entire body ached, as if he had been run over by ten trucks. He tried to sit up, but found himself gasping with pain in seconds. Instead, he tried to crawl around the icy ground, reaching to gather his things.

Most of his possessions were ripped or missing. Blaine's mind suddenly jumped to his back pocket, to the money he had save up from working at the garage. But the wallet was missing.

Blaine's spirit was broken as he took in his situation. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and laid back down on the frozen pavement.

* * *

Kurt was annoyed at Finn. He had decided to take his sweet time getting ready in the morning, and then, just as they were finally about to leave, Finn had remembered that he needed to print a paper for English class.

And now they were running late.

Kurt took the turns angrily as they sped through the streets of Lima. Because of the time, he'd decided on an alternate route to school. It was a bit out of the way, but wouldn't have any traffic as it went through the middle of the rundown part of downtown Lima. People rarely ventured over there; it had an even worse reputation than Lima Heights.

Kurt turned another sharp corner when something caught his eye that had him slamming on the breaks.

"What's _that_?" he gasped.

Finn looked over Kurt, towards the object of his attention. "Dunno," Finn said disinterestedly. "Probably just some passed out bum or whatever. You get them a lot in this part of town."

Something about the scene looked all too familiar to Kurt. When his eyes finally raked over the shock of dark curls at the figure's head, it clicked into place. "Blaine!" he gasped.

Kurt pulled the car over and barely had it turned off before he was jumping out of the front seat. Sure enough, it was Blaine lying on the ground. He was surrounded by a few articles of clothing and his duffel bag.

Kurt bent down to inspect Blaine closer. He saw the boy's chest rise slightly and let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Blaine was alive. But he was cold and hurt.

"What do we do?" Finn asked, startling Kurt from his reverie.

"Dad!"

With Finn's help, Kurt got Blaine and his things into the backseat of his navigator. Then Finn drove them over to the shop while Kurt sat with Blaine in the back.

The heat was blasting in the car, but Kurt could still feel Blaine's thin body shivering next to his own. He inched closer and wrapped his arms around the younger boy, gasping slightly at how wet his clothes were.

"Hurry up, Finn!"

They turned into the shop only moments after Burt from the looks of it.

"What are you boys doing here?" Burt asked suspiciously. "I thought you left for school twenty minutes ago."

"We did," Finn said, "but we were on our way, and -"

"And we found Blaine," Kurt finished, climbing out of the backseat.

"'Found'?" Burt asked.

Kurt pulled the door open, and Burt gasped at the sight of the seventeen year old's bruised and beaten body.

"We didn't know what to do," Kurt explained.

"Bring him home," Burt instructed. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes. Call Carole, too. Let her know what's going on. I don't think she's left for work yet."

Kurt and Finn jumped back into the car and sped home.

* * *

Blaine didn't know why his body ached so badly or why he was so cold. He could feel hands running gently over his body, leaving a warm trail behind.

"Mom?" he asked.

There was a laugh. "Guess again."

Blaine knew that voice. Where did he know that voice from?

Where was he?

What happened?

Blaine forced his eyes open and Kurt's face swam in front of him. "Kurt?" he asked, eyes widening further.

He tried to sit up, to see where he was, but he was forced to fall back, both by Kurt's hand on his chest and the pain in his abdomen.

"Where am I?"

"My house. Finn and I found you on our way to school and you looked really bad so we brought you back here. Dad and Carole are in the kitchen now. They said they were going to try to find your parents."

"No!" Blaine said, ignoring Kurt and the pain and sitting up quickly. "You can't!"

"Blaine, they're your _parents_, they'll want to know that you're okay."

"They're, um, they're out of the country right now."

Kurt didn't look like he believed Blaine, but he didn't push the subject at the moment. "Do you remember what happened?"

Blaine shook his head, paused, then nodded. "I was walking home from work, and these three guys stopped me."

"Why were you over in _that _part of town?"

Blaine didn't answer.

"If you parents are gone, why weren't you staying with your friend?"

Blaine looked away.

"Blaine, just _look at me_!"

Blaine finally looked up, and Kurt's heart broke at the sight. The boy's hazel eyes were damp and deeply sorrowful.

"What happened?" Kurt asked softly.

"I was walking home," Blaine repeated.

"But why over there?" Kurt asked again.

"It's the fastest way to Hoyt Park."

"You live near the park?"

"…You could say that."

"Blaine?"

"I live at the park. Under the bridge by the river," Blaine said, looking resolutely away from Kurt.


	3. Chapter 3

"_I live at the park. Under the bridge by the river," Blaine said, looking resolutely away from Kurt._

"You – Blaine – _what_?"

"I told you, Kurt, I live at the park. I'm - homeless, okay?"

"But – but why? How?"

"Mother and father weren't too pleased to have a fag for a son."

"They kicked you out?"

"Yeah. Or you could say I ran away. It was a pretty mutual decision."

"How long have you been homeless?"

"Almost a year and a half."

"_Blaine!_"

Blaine looked down again, and Kurt almost missed what he next said. "Did you – I mean, was my stuff there when you – when you found me?"

"Oh!" Kurt gasped. "Yeah, yes, of course. It's still in the car. Do you want me to go get it?"

"Could you?"

Kurt ran out of the room and to his car. The cold air seemed to clear his head and let him think more rationally. What were they going to do now? They had a homeless kid at their house! They couldn't very well let him back on the streets. And contacting his parents seemed like the worst possible idea.

Kurt wrenched open the car door and gathered the things that had been strewn on the ground near Blaine. It suddenly occurred to him just how important each individual object must be to Blaine if it was all he had. Taking the upmost care with each article, Kurt carried the small pile inside to Blaine.

After leaving Blaine to sort through his things, he went to join his father and Carole in the kitchen and explain everything.

* * *

"That poor boy."

Kurt nodded in agreement with Carole's statement. He had just finished telling his parents everything he knew about Blaine, and now they were trying to figure out what to do.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable sending him back to those people, even if they would take him back," Carole said.

"Yes, but we can't just let him go back out there," Burt said.

"Can't he stay with us?" Kurt asked. "He could keep working at the shop, and he could go back to school at McKinley. It doesn't seem like he had much of a choice before becoming a dropout."

"It's not that simple, bud," Burt said sadly. "Since Blaine is still legally a minor, we can't just take him in. We'd have to call the police about his parents, and then try to get custody or something, if he'd even consent to that."

"Well, why not? Let's do it then!" Kurt said.

"Honey, why don't you let Burt and I figure this out while you go take care of Blaine, okay?" Carole suggested sweetly.

Kurt knew when he was being dismissed, so he nodded and left the room.

* * *

A few hours later, Kurt, Blaine, and Finn were all crowded into the living room, eating junk food and watching _Finding Nemo_. When Carole and Burt entered the room with serious looks on their faces, the atmosphere immediately shifted.

"Blaine, we just got off the phone with the Department of Child Services, and they're sending a social worker to the house in about an hour," Burt said.

Blaine's face drained of what little colour he had regained in the past few hours.

"They said that with your parents' permission and your consent, we'll be able to enter into a temporary guardianship arrangement."

"What does that mean?" Blaine asked guardedly.

"It means that if your parents sign a form that turns custody of you over to the state and we are approved by the social worker, you will be able to legally live in our home."

Blaine's jaw dropped. "Really? Y-you'd let me live here?"

"Of course, honey," Carole said, stepping forward. "You will always be welcome here."

"And I could – I mean, of course I'll still help out at the shop, but can I go back to - to school, too?"

"Yep. As soon as the paperwork is worked out, we can enrol you at McKinley with Kurt and Finn."

A small grin broke out across Blaine's face. "Thank you all so much," he whispered. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

* * *

Burt had been hoping that the visit with the social worker would go better. Of course, it could have gone a whole lot worse. Blaine could have been returned to his parents. Instead the man who came said that he had to take the boy with him until Burt and Carole were approved and the Andersons gave up their parental rights. If everything went as planned, Blaine could return to the Hummel-Hudson house within the week.

But the Andersons could still try to take their son back to save face, especially since Blaine didn't want to press charges or take them to court for neglect and abandonment.

And, the boy would have to live in a state-run orphanage until the living situation was settled.

Blaine looked resigned to his fate as he repacked his small bag with the clothes that Kurt had laundered. Kurt had also slipped a few other things in the bag without telling the boy – a few toiletries, a book, and extra clothes that Kurt had outgrown.

"Thank you for everything," Blaine said as he followed the social worker to his car. He tried to smile. He tried to seem genuine.

But Kurt knew that Blaine was feeling anything but optimistic about his position.

* * *

August Johnson knew better than to try to make conversation with the quiet teenager currently riding in his passenger seat. After close to ten years working with abandoned and abused children, he knew that he had to give them time. Instead, he simply chose to explain the next few days to Blaine.

"There's an orphanage not too far from here where you'll be living for a while. On Monday, I'll take you to a nearby school to get you enrolled. Until then, you have to stay on the grounds. There are a few other kids your age there, and plenty of stuff to do."

Blaine didn't acknowledge Auggie's words, so he continued. "I'm going to pay a visit to your parents' house tomorrow, but it's best if you don't come along. If you're sure that you don't want to press charges, I'm only going to do whatever I can to get them to sign over their rights.

"In a few days, we'll be able to process the Hummel's request to take you in, and then I'll do an inspection. If everything goes as planned, you can be with them by the end of the week."

Silence fell over the car for a few minutes. Auggie was just turning into the driveway when Blaine, barely above a whisper, said, "Thanks."

* * *

After Blaine was settled into a bunk in the orphanage, Auggie got back into his car. He needed to get to the office to do some serious research on the Anderson family before visiting them tomorrow.

When the next day arrived, Auggie set off early enough that he would arrive before either adult needed to go to work. He was sure that these people would sign Blaine over to him quickly, if only to save their reputations before a trial brought unwanted attention.

The man and woman who he met seemed stiff but not unkind. But there was a cold, distant air to the couple. With as much composure as he could summon, Auggie began to explain why he was calling on them.

Mr. Anderson's face grew red and an angry expression crossed his features when he heard Auggie's words.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I can assure you, my son is an attention seeking liar who would do anything to cause a stir. Simply return him to me, and I can deal with him appropriately."

Auggie shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Anderson, but we have witnesses who have known your son over the last few months and can attest to the fact that he has not been living here. However, Blaine does not want to press charges or cause a stir. I simply want what's best for the boy. We can make this quick and painless. I simply need you and your wife to sign a few papers that will turn Blaine over to the state, thereby relinquishing any guardianship duties you've previously held. Once you've done that, we can all leave this mess behind us and we hopefully won't have to speak again."

There were a few tense moments before the large man finally leaned forward. "Where's the damn paper?"

* * *

Life at the orphanage wasn't bad. Blaine didn't really talk to the other boys or girls, and spent as much time as he could hidden away. All of the older kids there seemed to share his apathy to at least some degree, so they left him alone.

After arriving on Thursday evening, Blaine had gone straight to his bunk and turned his bag upside down, shaking out his remaining possessions to take an inventory of what had been spared.

Blaine's face fell when he inspected the wet _Goosebumps_ books that had fallen out. He tried not to show it on his face, but those had been some of his last ties to childhood – when everything had been happy at the Anderson house. Shaking his head, he set them to the side and moved on. His supply of food was all crushed or missing, but Blaine didn't mind too much. There was food provided at the orphanage, which meant that he wouldn't have to worry about scrounging for scraps any more.

What surprised him was that in addition to his meagre supply of clothes, a few extra items had fallen out. So, too, had a thick book that Blaine had never even seen before. Peeking out from the top of the book was a scrap of paper, which he pulled out and read.

_Blaine,_

_I hope you don't mind that I did this. I promise that I didn't look through your things other than collecting and cleaning your clothes. I figured you could use some more clothes until we can take you shopping so I took the liberty of adding in a few of my old things as well. I'm not exactly sure what they have to do at an orphanage, so I thought you might need something to occupy your time. This is one of my favourite books and I hope you enjoy it. I apologise if I overstepped any boundaries._

_Kurt_

Blaine found himself smiling widely as he tucked the paper back into its place.

Auggie picked Blaine up on Monday morning, three days after he'd last seen the boy, and began to drive him to the school.

Blaine nervously sat in the front seat, a question on the tip of his tongue. He was terrified of the answer, but still had to know. "Did my, uh, my parents sign the - the paper?"

Auggie stiffened and looked ahead. "Yeah, they did," he replied nonchalantly.

Blaine nodded his head a bit. He hated his parents for what they'd done to him, and he knew that they didn't want him. They'd made that perfectly clear the night they'd kicked him out. He'd even hear his father shout _"You're not my son!"_ at him. But making it legally true was a completely different story.

They pulled up in the William McKinley parking lot a few minutes later and went to get Blaine enrolled.

Because it had been over a year since Blaine was last in school, he was more than behind the other students his age. But he had always been bright, taking advanced classes as a freshman, so he was able to take a sophomore courseload even though he'd missed all of sophomore year and half of junior year. This was, of course, accompanied by the stipulation that he would have to take a full junior load during summer school as well. And then he'd be caught up.

Driving back to the orphanage, Auggie explained that Blaine still wouldn't start school for a few days. "The Hummels just submitted their application this morning – Burt dropped it at my office personally the moment we opened – and we want the transition to be easy for you. So you're probably not going to start school until you've moved in with them, providing they're approved. From everything I've seen, however, that's more than likely to happen."

* * *

Kurt couldn't concentrate in his classes. He'd caught a glimpse of Blaine and the social worker from Friday near the main office just after second period, and suddenly his mind was focused solely on the boy and how he had been coping. He knew that his father had dropped off the application to become a temporary guardian that morning, so he hoped that Blaine could come back home with them soon.

Kurt felt a sort of kinship with Blaine, but more than that, he also felt some sort of pull towards the younger boy.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon, Burt and Carole both took off from work so that they could be home during the inspection. Auggie came by with another woman from the Department of Child Services, and they spent an hour pouring over every room in the house. Another hour was devoted to interviewing both adults, looking over financial documents, and calling in references. By the time Kurt and Finn were due to arrive home from school, they were only just packing up.

The woman left immediately, but Auggie stayed to talk another moment.

"I'm not supposed to say anything, but your chances look more than good. Since we want to get Blaine settled as soon as possible, this whole process is moving faster than usual. You should probably hear back from DCS by Friday. If you want my advice, I'd say that you should get that guest room set up and stock up on food. I'd bet anything that you'll have three teenagers living here by Saturday."

Auggie's prediction turned out to be correct. Midmorning Friday, Burt got a call at the shop telling him that they'd been approved and Blaine would be delivered the next day. He could barely contain himself as he waited for the next 24 hours to pass.

* * *

Blaine was informed Friday evening that he'd be moving to his new home the next day and starting school on Monday. He was a little relieved to finally have things settled. The past week had been nothing short of odd.

Blaine had absolutely nothing to do during the day. He didn't have to scrounge for food or money, nor did he have to work at Burt's shop. He didn't even have school to distract himself. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Blaine had no obligations or duties to fulfil, and he had no idea what to do with himself.

He woke up earlier than usual on Saturday and spent more time than was necessary repacking his bag before going down to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. When Auggie arrived a few hours later, Blaine was waiting for him in the front room.

"Ready to go?"

Blaine nodded.

* * *

It's a strange feeling to walk up to someone's house as a guest but know that as soon as you enter the door, you are a resident. Blaine mused on this as he followed Auggie to the Hummels front door. Suddenly, he was very nervous about what was going to happen. Why had he ever told Kurt he was homeless? He was just causing everyone a lot of trouble, including himself.

But the door was flung open before they even reached it, and Kurt was running towards Blaine and engulfing him in a hug.

Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

After lunch, Blaine protectively grabbed his bag and followed Kurt upstairs to the guest bedroom. He froze in the doorway and simply took in the room.

Kurt, interpreting Blaine's silence to mean dissatisfaction, quickly began talking. "I know it's pretty small, and you probably hate the colours – it looks like it's for a 90 year old spinster – but we can fix that up next weekend. We can go to the mall and get you a new bed set – oh! And new clothes!"

Blaine shook his head. "You really don't need to do all that for me, Kurt. The room is fine. It's perfect. I was just thinking about – about the last time I slept in a proper bed."

"Oh," Kurt said, subdued. He sank down on Blaine's bed as the other boy finally crossed the threshold into the room. "When was that?"

"Christmas. I managed to save up enough money from working at the tire shop to book a cheap motel room for a couple nights."

"And the last time before that was…?" Kurt asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"The night before I left home."

A sort of strangled gasp escaped Kurt's throat.

Blaine uneasily walked across the room, still a bit uncomfortable in the new setting. "Can I?" he asked, pointing to the desk.

"Of course!" Kurt answered quickly. "This is your room. You can do whatever you want in here. At least, whatever within reason," he amended.

Blaine unpacked his bag again and organised his few possessions in smile piles on the desk. But as Blaine refolded his jeans, Kurt couldn't help himself – he made a quiet tutting noise from across the room as soon as he saw some of Blaine's clothes. Blaine quickly spun around to look at Kurt, a mixture of embarrassment, surprise, and shame written across his face. "What?" the curly haired boy asked.

"Those clothes – they're just awful, Blaine," Kurt said, trying to keep his tone light.

Blaine still grew defensive. "Well, I couldn't exactly afford to dress myself in Armani, now could I?" he said. "Anyway, I thought I did a good job with them," Blaine continued quietly. "I washed them as much as I could and never let them rip or anything."

Kurt wished he could have taken back his previous comment. "Blaine, you know I didn't mean it like that. Honestly, what I said had nothing to do with the state of your clothes. It was more about the style. I mean, I can think of about a million better outfits for you than that. If you just let me take you shopping you're going to look amazing."

Blaine had known that Kurt didn't mean to insult him, but he still felt a bit defensive. Kurt didn't seem to have fully grasped that Blaine wanted to earn what he had – he didn't want to take handouts. Living with Kurt and his family was hard enough for Blaine to agree to. The only reason he had was because the authorities had been involved and there was no chance in hell he would ever consent to going back to his parents' house, even if they begged and grovelled.

"Kurt, I can't buy a totally new wardrobe, especially not at the kind of stores you shop at."

"Believe me, Blaine, if there is one thing I know, it's shopping. We'll get you everything you need, and it'll barely cost more than those atrocities you have now."

* * *

When Blaine woke up the next day, it was to a cloud of confusion around his head. It took a few moments of simply gaping at the room that he found himself in before he remembered everything that had happened. This was his home now.

He slid out of the bed as quietly as possible, hoping that he wouldn't wake the other occupants of the house, and walked over to his small pile of clothes. Blaine thought long and hard before selecting the dark jeans from Christmas, a simple t-shirt, and a black cable knit sweater that was incredibly warm, even though it had begun to fray.

When he entered the kitchen nervously, however, only Carole sat at the table. It took a moment before she sensed his presence, but when she did, she immediately dropped the newspaper and set down her cup of coffee before standing up and pulling Blaine over to the table.

"Just take a seat, honey. I'll get you some cold medicine – we just want to make sure you didn't catch anything out there. Are you hungry? We've got some cereal, a few muffins, or I could make some bacon and eggs. Do you want me to make an omelette?"

Blaine stared in mild shock at the woman as she bustled around the kitchen. It was hard to believe that she and Kurt weren't actually related.

"J-just cereal's fine," he answered quietly when she turned an expectant gaze on him.

After finishing the meal and turning down numerous offers from Carole for more food, Blaine stood awkwardly.

"May I – I mean, can I take a shower?" he asked, pulling at the hem of his sweater and resolutely not making eye contact.

"Of course, honey! I'll just show you which you can use and what products are yours, okay? Kurt and Finn are at a glee club thing, but I'm sure they're looking forward to seeing you when they come home."

* * *

Even though Blaine had been showering in the sports club ever since he'd started working at the tire shop, he hadn't allowed himself to fully relax in the showers. It was difficult when one was showering obscenely early in the morning in a communal shower. Therefore, this shower seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world to Blaine.

He stepped out into the steam-filled bathroom and took in a deep breath. It was the first time he'd breathed freely in months – years, even. Even though he knew that his situation was most likely precarious at best, Blaine was finally allowing himself to be in the moment, rather than constantly worrying about the future. It felt good. He felt like he was able to be a kid again.

He quickly redressed in his clothes from breakfast before returning to the guest room. Blaine wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with himself now. Usually, days were either spent at work or wandering through Lima to scrape together some extra cash, but Burt had told him that he had to take a few extra days off in order to adjust.

That made Blaine feel really crummy. Not only was he leeching off of the family's generosity, but he also wasn't doing anything productive to help them out. Blaine vowed to work something out with Burt once the man returned from the shop. He could offer to pay rent or work at the shop for free – something so he could feel like he was contributing to the household and to ensure that the Hummels wouldn't change their minds and realise that taking in a stray had been an awful decision.

Blaine sat at the desk chair and picked up a book he had found on one of the bookshelves downstairs. It had to have been one of Finn's assigned books for English class. Only books that had been forced on one of the kids or which were shared by the whole family went on those shelves. Plus, the spine had never even been bent, which meant it was very unlikely that Kurt, with his meticulous work ethic, was the owner.

A few hours later, Blaine was pulled out of the pages of The Princess Bride when he heard the door slam shut.

"For the last time, Finn, do not slam the doors!" Carole yelled from the kitchen.

"Sorry, mom," Finn's slightly abashed voice called back.

Blaine decided to venture back downstairs in hopes that Kurt and Finn might divert the attention away from him. He'd already caused too much of a commotion in the Hummel house.

"Blaine! Perfect!" Kurt exclaimed when Blaine entered the kitchen. He scrunched his nose slightly at Blaine's outfit, and the curly-haired boy couldn't help but think it was adorable.

_Adorable_? That was new.

"I'm going to meet Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel at the mall in a little bit. Want to join us?"

Blaine looked uneasily around the room. "I don't know," he finally answered. "I don't need you guys spending money on me and I can't afford - I mean, I don't have any money anymore."

Carole jumped up this time. "Honey, we want to help you out. Plus, technically, we owe you a lot of money for all the hours that you worked at the shop that you refused to be paid for."

Kurt nodded eagerly and focused pleading eyes on Blaine.

When Blaine still looked uncomfortable, Carole continued speaking. "DCS gives foster families a monthly stipend for taking care of the kids. If you want, I'll give you that money and you can choose how to spend it."

"But what about all the other expenses?"

"Honey, there's nothing else. We already buy enough food to feed an army because Finn eats so much. Please, just let us do this for you."

Blaine looked desperately around the room but found no assistance in any of the faces. "Fine," he sighed, "but can I at least pay you back or something?"

"We can discuss that later," Carole said with finality.

Blaine nodded and followed Kurt out to the car.

* * *

"Blaine, right?" Mercedes, the girl from the Christmas party, asked, holding out a hand.

Blaine nodded and took it before introducing himself to the other two girls, Tina and Rachel.

"So Kurt finally managed to get you to stop working so hard?" Mercedes asked.

"Huh?"

"At the party, when he introduced us," Mercedes reminded Blaine. "He said that he'd have introduced us earlier, but you always work."

"Oh," Blaine said. "Yeah. Right. I - uh - I took some time off." _Had Kurt not told them about him?_

"Blaine's actually decided to take more than a bit of time off," Kurt supplied. "Dad and I finally convinced him to go back to school. He's starting at McKinley on Monday."

Rachel's expression hardened slightly, but Tina and Mercedes looked like Christmas had just come again.

"You haven't been in school?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, no, no. I - um - 16 is the legal age to drop out, so I, uh, I decided to work for a while. You know, to save up," Blaine said. He was a little annoyed at Kurt for revealing so much, but at the same time, it was probably the safest and easiest story to tell.

"Well, I for one am thrilled that you'll be joining us," Mercedes said.

"Yeah," Tina agreed. "Do you sing? Maybe you could join us in glee club!"

Blaine smiled faintly, remembering days long past when he would sit in his backyard for hours at a time and simply _sing_.

"Maybe," he said.

* * *

None of the girls commented on Kurt choosing the discount stores to shop at, nor did they mention the fact that Kurt paid for all of Blaine's purchases. Still, by the end of the evening, the boy was more withdrawn than usual and barely spoke for fear of embarrassment or being found out.

They parted ways in the car park, waving and promising to show Blaine around on Monday. The boy flushed as he looked at the many bags that Kurt piled into the backseat of his car, embarrassed at the cost he was creating for this family.

"Thank you, Kurt, really," he said fervently as he got in the passenger seat.

"It's nothing, Blaine," Kurt replied. "This is barely a fraction of how much I usually spend on clothes. And anyway, you'll need the clothes for school. Especially if you do join glee club or if you're out there."

Blaine gave Kurt a confused look.

"I don't want to scare you or anything, but I figured, you know, full disclosure. The jocks like to bully the glee club, and they have a tendency to throw slushies at us. So if you're in glee or you're gay, that's likely to happen."

"Slushies? Like frozen drinks?" Blaine asked, incredulity evident in his tone.

Kurt nodded. "I know it sounds insane, but there you go."

"Wow," Blaine whispered, letting out a long breath. "Okay. Yeah. Whatever."

"So?"

Blaine laughed slightly under his breath. "I think your school sounds worse than the streets."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh, too. Soon both boys were breathless, holding their sides and gasping as they laughed heartily in Kurt's car in the middle of the parking lot.

"Anyway," Blaine finally gasped, "I guess I'll just deal with it."

Kurt, still breathing heavily, nodded and turned the key in his ignition. "Okay then. Shall we head home?"


	5. Chapter 5

When the alarm went off Monday morning, it took Blaine a few seconds to roll out of bed. He wanted to relish every moment of the pillowy softness beneath him. He went through all his motions slowly, knowing he had a bit of extra time. He'd showered the night before so as to not mess with Kurt and Finn's morning routines. As such, he had about an extra hour. Still, he got up and walked across the room to the dresser, where he and Kurt had placed all of the clothes after the shopping trip on Saturday. He picked out an outfit that he remembered Kurt exclaiming over before wandering downstairs.

Carole and Burt were both seated at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. He still wasn't comfortable in the house, but he was more comfortable helping himself in the kitchen rather than making one of the adults get up.

Blaine fixed himself a bowl of cereal before taking a place at the table.

"Don't you want milk with those?" Carole asked, looking at Blaine's plain corn flakes.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "I prefer them to be crunchy."

"Alright, honey, but just remember that you are welcome to anything in our house."

Blaine nodded and turned back to his bowl. He made sure to chew slowly and savor every bite. When he finally finished, there wasn't one crumb left in the bowl.

Blaine was just walking into the spare bedroom to pack up when Kurt emerged from the shower. Both boys blushed furiously when they ran into each other in the hallway, and Blaine made sure to not let his eyes linger for too long on Kurt's naked torso.

"Sorry," he muttered to the carpet.

"It's no problem. You better get in the bathroom now if you need to wash up or brush your teeth or anything. It always looks like a bomb has gone off after Finn's been in there."

Blaine nodded and dove in.

* * *

Blaine collected the syllabus in each class on Monday and felt as if he was drowning when he looked at all the work he'd need to complete to catch up. They were all in the middle of lessons, with tests and exams and papers coming up in such a short time. And it only got worse as the day progressed.

The only class that Blaine didn't struggle in was glee club. After meeting everyone at lunch, he felt fairly confident that he wouldn't feel like they were all watching (and silently judging) him when he walked into the classroom.

Mr. Schuester seemed thrilled to have a new member, but wanted to know a bit more about Blaine than the boy was willing to share. Thankfully both Kurt and Finn noticed Blaine's struggle and managed to pull him away from the teacher.

"Alright guys! Before we get into this week's lesson, we have a new member!" Mr. Schue announced. Since everyone had already met Blaine, albeit briefly, at lunch, they cheered and applauded. "Do you have anything ready to audition, Blaine?"

Blaine looked around at all the expectant faces and wracked his brain, trying to think of a song that he still knew well enough to sing before a group.

"Sure," he said uneasily as one particular lyric popped into his head. He walked over to the band, whispered the name, and stood ready at the front of the room.

He started out nervous, but his confidence grew as he got into the lyrics. By the time Blaine was belting the last chorus of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, he wasn't even aware of his surroundings.

"Wow, Blaine, that was amazing!" Mr. Schue said, standing up to take his place at the front of the room while the rest of the class applauded. Blaine flushed slightly as he remembered where he was and ducked his head as he walked back to his seat next to Kurt.

After Mr. Schue explained the assignment for the week, the kids were allowed to have free time in which they were supposed to discuss their plans, search for songs, practice, and otherwise work on the assignment. However, instead, they all turned their attention to the newest member in their ranks.

"How come you never told us you can sing like that?" Finn demanded.

Blaine shrugged. "I didn't think you guys cared. Plus, I'm not that good of a singer."

"I'd like to disagree, Blaine," Rachel said. "I think you and I should try a duet some time. If Finn doesn't mind, of course."

Finn chuckled. "Not like Blaine's any competition anyway."

Blaine's eyes widened as he realized what Finn had just revealed and he ducked his head. He knew that these kids were all okay with Kurt being gay - but somehow he couldn't trust it. Past experiences were all against him in this case.

"Wait, dude, you're gay?" Puck asked.

Blaine nervously looked up and, upon seeing no malice in the older boy's eyes, nodded.

"Nice," he said lightly. "Hummel might finally get some man-action."

Kurt turned beet red and lashed out a hand to slap Puck on the shoulder. Blaine laughed weakly, glad that his coming out here was finally met with some positive reactions.

Across the room, Santana Lopez looked scrutinously at Blaine, sure that she recognized him from somewhere.

* * *

After school, Blaine went straight to the guest bedroom and worked straight until he was called down for dinner. Even then, he'd barely made a dent on his work. He didn't understand how a year and a half could put him so far behind, but he didn't want to disappoint the Hummels, so he went back and worked until he fell asleep at the desk.

Carole was the one who found Blaine, when she got up at 3 am to get a glass of water. She saw the light under the boy's door and wondered why he would still be awake. But when she entered the room and saw the boy, still fully dressed, passed out on top of a large pile of homework, her heart broke slightly. She gently woke Blaine and guided him to his bed. In his sleepy state, he didn't even notice what was happening.

* * *

After a few days at McKinley, Blaine found a kindred spirit in his fellow glee clubber, Sam Evans. Sam was the same age as Blaine, his family had experienced some major hardships, and he was dyslexic and generally struggled with school. Even though Sam wasn't the best study partner, Blaine felt more confident to know that he was struggling just as much as someone who had been there all year.

Kurt and Finn were also both invaluable resources. Finn wasn't the brightest, but he was still able to help Blaine understand concepts - he knew how to put things in the plainest, easiest to understand context. Kurt, on the other hand, was too bright for McKinley. He had a keen, fast mind and wit to match, and even though he hadn't taken classes as simple as Blaine's in years, he was able to tutor Blaine whenever the boy got frustrated.

* * *

Once he felt that the courseload was somewhat manageable, Blaine approached Burt and Carole about working at the shop again and paying rent. They flat-out refused to let him pay rent until Blaine threw out the ultimatum that he could pay rent, work at the shop for free, or work somewhere else and force the money on them.

In the end, Blaine worked reduced weekend hours at a regular minimum wage salary and paid a rent of $100 a month.

* * *

Even if the courseload became manageable, however, the bullies didn't. Blaine had dealt with bullies before, on too many occasions to count. His parents, his friends, his classmates - they had all turned on him in the end before he was kicked out.

But somehow, it was worse here. Maybe because he had friends here, people who he didn't want to disappoint. Maybe because he had something more to hide.

Every day, Blaine feared that someone would recognize him as the homeless kid who had hung out on the corner by the Domino's. Or maybe as the guy who had asked for an extra dollar outside the McDonalds. Or even as the boy who lived under the bridge in Hoyt Park, the kid who thought he had it all worked out there.

So each time they looked at him maliciously, Blaine tensed up and feared the worst. And every time a slur about his sexuality or a shove into the lockers or a slushie followed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Because as worried as he was about the bullies finding out that he had been homeless, he was more scared of his friends.

* * *

A month passed in almost no time at all. Blaine was by no means caught up, but he wasn't drowning any more. With the exception of math, Blaine was able to keep himself afloat in all of his classes. There were just too many concepts he had missed or lost in the past year, even if he was taking a sophomore level math class.

Since Blaine was caught up in school, Kurt was able to shift his focus to his upcoming NYADA audition. Wanting to repay the favor, Blaine offered to help Kurt prepare after school. He spent countless hours listening to Kurt perform _Not The Boy Next Door _and _The Music of the Night_ and was awed over and over again by the older boy's unique style.

He promised to watch the audition and provide Kurt with moral support, so after school one Tuesday about a month and a half after Blaine moved in with the Hummels, he sat in the large auditorium.

Kurt stood at center stage and looked at Carmen Tibideaux. He thought about everything that this audition represented. He watched the thoroughly bored expression on her face. And he ripped off his Phantom mask and cape. He shooed Tina away.

"My name is Kurt Hummel, and I'll be performing _Being Alive_," he announced.

Blaine grinned from the audience. He'd only heard Kurt rehearse that song once before, and it hadn't even been in earnest, but he trusted Kurt.

And as Kurt began to sing, Blaine knew it had been the right decision. There was something more real in this performance that Blaine had ever seen before. He knew that Kurt liked showy, glamorous numbers, but this was so bare and stripped down, so personal and heartfelt. As he watched Kurt, he felt tears spring to his eyes and his heart began to beat heavily. It felt like his eyes were opening and he was seeing Kurt in a new light.

* * *

"All right, guys! We've got regionals coming up, so I want everyone to come up with a number that they think is worthy of regionals - ballad, duet, dance, whatever!" Mr. Schue announced at glee the next day.

Blaine immediately turned to Kurt, who had been in conversation with Mercedes at the time. "Hey, Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you - I mean, do you want to do a duet? With me?" Blaine asked, feeling stupider by the minute.

Mercedes giggled, but Kurt quickly shushed her. "I'd love to," he answered. "Want to practice after school?"

* * *

For the first time since starting at McKinley, Blaine decided to forgo studying during study hall in favor of scouring the internet in hopes of finding the perfect song to sing with Kurt. His work finally paid off moments before the last bell rang. He hastily printed sheet music, stuffed it in his bag, and ran outside to meet Kurt and Finn.

He suddenly couldn't meet Kurt's eyes, and was glad when he got in the back seat and didn't have to worry about staring into Kurt's powerful eyes. When they got home, Finn ran upstairs while Kurt and Blaine awkwardly walked to the living room.

"Do you have any ideas?" Kurt asked once they both sat down.

"Um, I was thinking _Candles_. By Hey Monday. Do you know it?"

Kurt adopted a curious, dreamy expression. "Yeah. I'm familiar. I just - why did you want to duet with me?" Kurt asked. "I mean, I don't mind at all, but you are easily a top contender for a competition solo. And I don't think that the Ohio Show Choir Board is quite ready for two men to sing a duet…" Kurt trailed off, pinking slightly.

Blaine shifted awkwardly in his seat. He wanted to get up and move. He was really bad at talking to people. "Kurt, there is a moment," he began, "when you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are, I've been looking for you forever.' Watching you do _Being Alive _yesterday was that moment for me, about you. Doing a duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you, as an equal. Now, I understand if you don't feel the same, I mean, I'm hom-"

But Blaine was cut off by Kurt leaning forward and pressing his lips against Blaine's.

"I've been waiting for you, too," Kurt whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

Blaine loved glee club dearly; it quickly became his favorite part of the day. He loved all the people in glee club, too, even if Rachel could be a bit loud and Santana was downright snarky. But sometimes the bond shared between the members became the greatest thorn in Blaine's side.

He and Kurt were sitting around in the choir room, smiling at the secret they shared and waiting for class to begin so they could blow everyone away with their duet. Of course, they knew that no one in the club would have a problem with their relationship, but they were worried about Burt. To be specific, Blaine was worried about Burt.

_"Oh my God," Blaine said, terror painting his features as he pulled away from Kurt's lips._

_"What?" Kurt asked, a terrified, desperate color to his voice. "Did I read that completely wrong?"_

_"No, no! Of course not!" Blaine said. "Believe me, you read that exactly right." He grinned a bit. "But what about your dad? What if he doesn't approve of me?"_

_"Blaine, he let you live in our house, I think he approves of you."_

_"But that's just as a person, not as your boyfriend or whatever! I know I'm not good enough for you, but what if your dad agrees?"_

_"Blaine, just stop -"_

_"Or what if we break up? What happens then? Do I go back to the park?"_

_"No," Kurt said. "No matter what happens to us, you will never have to go back to the streets. You will always have a place in our house, Blaine."_

_The younger boy didn't look convinced._

_"Let's not think about that now, okay?" Kurt said. "Let's just enjoy the moment." He leaned forward and kissed Blaine again._

So they hadn't told anyone about them yet - they hadn't even defined it themselves - but they did sit a bit closer in the choir room, and if their hands caught, they didn't pull apart right away.

When Mr. Schue came into the room and asked if there were any volunteers, Kurt's and Blaine's hands were in the air before even Rachel's.

"Alright guys! Let's give it up for Kurt and Blaine!"

They nervously went to the front of the room and stood a few feet apart. The band started a slower and softer version of the song and Kurt stepped forward to sing the first line.

The the time they were finished, neither boy was even aware of their audience; they were too caught up in the other's eyes. Kurt was about to lean in towards Blaine when -

"I knew it! They are banging!"

Immediately, the moment was shattered as they whipped around. Kurt tried his best to glare at Santana, but his embarrassment was making the moment difficult. Her grin only widened.

"Don't be stupid, Santana, they would have told us if they were together," Rachel said confidently.

"Bullshit, Berry. Did you not just see what happened up there?"

"Seriously," Puck agreed, "I mean, I even got a little bit turned on there."

"Alright guys," Mr. Schue said, finally putting an end to all the talk. "I think that's enough. Does anyone else want to perform?"

When they sat back down, Blaine took Kurt's hand in his own.

* * *

Kurt was cornered by Mercedes after glee, so Blaine walked to the car with Finn. It was a bit awkward, as he and Finn had grown to be very close friends in the past weeks, and now he and Kurt were thrusting him into a completely unfamiliar situation.

Finally, however, Finn spoke. "So, are you two … together?"

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know."

"O-kay. Just, um, be careful, okay?"

Blaine nodded.

The two stood by the car in silence.

* * *

"Spill. Now," Mercedes demanded. Kurt could see Tina, Rachel, Santana, and the other girls hanging back as well. He sighed and turned back.

"I don't know, okay? I mean, we kissed last night when we were rehearsing, but that's it."

"But you totally want to jump his bones, right?" Santana asked, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

Kurt flushed. "Wha - no, I don't want to - I mean," he spluttered indignantly.

Santana just laughed.

"So what's holding you two up?" Mercedes asked.

"We don't want to mess anything up. And he's terrified of my dad."

"Doesn't he work for your dad? I thought they were close."

"Yeah, but he's just scared that my dad might -" Kurt broke off, remembering that this was Blaine's secret. "That he might fire him or something," Kurt finished lamely.

Santana gave him a look that suggested that she knew Kurt was lying.

* * *

Kurt dropped Finn off at the house after school, but when Blaine made to get out of the car as well, he held out his hand. Finn looked back at them, confused. "Blaine and I are going to the Lima Bean," Kurt said. "We'll be home by 5."

They got their coffees and sat down at the table, a plate of biscotti in the middle.

"What's up, Kurt?"

"What, am I not allowed to get a coffee with my good friend?"

Blaine just gave him a look.

"Okay, yeah. I just - I just wanted to talk. About us."

"What about us?" Blaine asked nervously.

"Just - are you okay with what's been happening?"

"Of course I am, Kurt."

"Alright then," Kurt said, shifting in his seat.

"What?"

"Well, since the cat's out of the bag, so to speak, I say we should just make it official."

"What?" Blaine was even more shocked and confused this time.

Kurt rolled his eyes jokingly. "Blaine Anderson, will you go on a date with me?"

Blaine inhaled sharply. "I - yeah. Um, Yes. Yes, of course I will."

* * *

They didn't go out until Friday night, a simple dinner at Breadstix. When they finished, Blaine turned to Kurt.

"Do you want to go home now, or are you up for something else?"

Kurt's eyes flashed. "Hmm, I like the sound of this 'something else'."

Blaine grinned. "Great. Get in the car."

"Where are we going?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Kurt answered immediately, without even thinking.

"Then just do as I say."

They ended up across town at an old playground. Blaine took Kurt's hand as they walked past the play equipment and headed towards the trees.

"I had a really great time tonight, Kurt," Blaine said quietly.

"Me too."

"Thank you for everything. Finding me, helping me … asking me out."

"No need to thank me," Kurt whispered, stopping in the path. He reached out his hand and cupped Blaine's cheek. After a silent nod of consent, he pulled Blaine's head towards his, attaching their lips in a soft kiss. "You deserve so much more than you got," Kurt whispered as they parted.

Blaine shifted a bit before starting up again. They walked further in silence before coming out of the trees and stopping in front of a small creek.

"It's beautiful," Kurt observed, drinking in how the moonlight transformed everything.

They walked along the creek for a while before coming up to a small bridge. Blaine turned toward it and Kurt assumed he was going to cross. So Kurt was understandable confused when Blaine stumbled down the slope and stood on the bank below the bridge.

"Blaine, what -?"

"This is where I was living," Blaine said in a soft voice. He was no longer meeting Kurt's eyes; his hands were stuffed deep into his pockets and he kicked the dirt nervously.

"Oh," Kurt breathed in recognition. He hadn't even recognized that they had turned onto Hoyt Street.

"I'm sorry, this is probably -"

"No."

Blaine's head shot up.

"No, I'm - glad you brought me here," Kurt said, smiling. He walked over to the edge and began to slip and stumble his way down. He could feel himself falling when suddenly - a strong pair of arms caught him.

"Thanks," Kurt breathed.

"Anytime."

Blaine bit his lip and watched nervously as Kurt walked around the small patch of earth that had been his home for so long.

"You used to live here."

"Yeah. I mean, you probably can't tell now, but it's a lot better than finding some alley or whatever. It doesn't seem like it anymore, but when I first got here, the ground was still soft from the summer, so it was pretty comfortable. And the creek's pretty clear, so before I started working at your dad's place and had a bit of extra money, I could rinse myself and my clothes."

"You used to live here," Kurt repeated, turning in a circle in the small space.

"It's not much, but … it really is better than loads of places I was before. I mean, I even had cover from rain - and it worked as a good place to stash my stuff if I absolutely couldn't take it with me."

"You used to live here."

"Kurt, please say something else," Blaine begged, his nerves finally getting the best of him. Had this been a terrible idea?

That seemed to shake Kurt from his trance. "I'm sorry," he said, and Blaine was shocked to see that there were tears in Kurt's eyes threatening to spill over. "It's just - I can't believe what you had to go through, Blaine. No one should ever have to live like this, and you were - you are - so young. And just because your parents couldn't accept your sexuality? I just - I can't -"

Kurt almost started hyperventilating, so Blaine quickly wrapped him in his arms. "Kurt, please, listen to me. It was hard and it sucked, living on the streets. But I made it through, and I met you, didn't I?" When there was no response but a sob from Kurt, Blaine tried again. "

Look, I didn't bring you here to make you uncomfortable or – or to make you feel sorry for me. I just – I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me, how much you've done for me. You saved me, Kurt, and I can never repay that."

Kurt blinked at Blaine. "I'm so sorry, Blaine," he whispered, wetness on his cheeks shining in the moonlight. In almost perfect coordination, Kurt and Blaine leaned into each other and hugged. Their grips were tight, as if each was afraid the other might be taken away by the water flowing underneath their feet. When they finally pulled apart and walked back to Kurt's car, they said nothing, not until Kurt whispered, "I'm so glad I found you."


	7. Chapter 7

Kurt and Blaine made their relationship official over the weekend, and caused quite a stir at McKinley when they walked down the hallways with their hands linked.

Rachel and Tina cooed over the two as they sat together at lunch, Mercedes shot Kurt knowing looks, and Puck and Santana both kept sending suggestive looks and snide comments.

It was better than Blaine could have ever hoped for.

Then they went to glee, and it got even better. Blaine and Kurt were given a duet for regionals – Pink's _Perfect_. Both boys giggled a bit in excitement, but quieted down for the rest of the class.

Before the bell rang, Mr. Schue pulled Blaine to the side.

"There are just a few forms I need you to fill out," he explained. "We need your parents' permission to bus you to the host school and $50 to cover registration fees. Also, how many tickets do you need for your family?"

Blaine froze. "Oh, no, I don't need any tickets," he said quietly. "They – they can't come."

"Oh," Mr. Schue said, looking slightly mollified – maybe he had realised what Blaine had been implying. "Well then, here are the forms, and if you could just get everything to me by Thursday, that'd be great."

Blaine nodded and went back to his seat, subdued.

* * *

Even though he figured Burt and Carole already knew about the $50 fee, Blaine didn't tell them about it. He wasn't going to inconvenience them any more than he had to. But he still had to ask them about the forms.

"I don't know if I need you guys or the social worker to sign these," Blaine said quietly. "It asks for parent or legal guardian, and you guys do have guardianship over me right now, but it's temporary, isn't it?"

Burt and Carole exchanged a look. "Of course we'll sign them for you, honey," Carole said sweetly. It looked like she wanted to say something else, but Burt shook his head ever so slightly.

* * *

Regionals was amazing. Not only did Blaine get to sing with Kurt – _to _Kurt – on stage, in front of hundreds of people, but they also won. They were going to nationals in Chicago! Of course, other glee club members had already told Blaine about the debacle in New York last year – the infamous Finchel kiss – but he thought they had pretty good chances.

Afterwards, Carole and Burt took Blaine, Kurt, and Finn out to dinner to celebrate. At the end of the meal, Carole and Burt seemed to hold a silent conversation before Burt cleared his throat and silenced the table.

"Carole and I have been talking lately, and we think this is something that would be good for all of us," he said. "Blaine, we've all enjoyed having you live with us these past few weeks. You've really become like family, like another son. We were just wondering if you perhaps wanted to make that official?"

Blaine's eyes practically popped out of his head. "Wh-what?" he asked faintly.

Beside him, Kurt seemed to have a similar reaction.

"Now, we understand that you're 17, so it wouldn't make too much of a difference legally speaking," Carole continued. "But, we would love it if you wanted that."

Blaine's eyes flickered between the two adults. "Um, I – uh – I – can I – I mean, I need some fresh air," he said, bolting outside.

"Dad, are you _insane_?" Kurt hissed as soon as his boyfriend was gone.

"What?" Burt asked. "We thought he might like to know that he's not imposing. He really is a part of the family. And Carole and I would be honoured to be his parents."

"Ugh, dad, just think about it. First of all, Blaine doesn't have such a good track record with parents. Secondly, he and I are _dating_. If you adopt him, it'd be like I was dating my brother, which is just _no_. Thirdly, think of the position you're putting him in. He probably thinks that he has to say yes or else you'll kick him back to the streets!"

Both Burt and Carole looked slightly humbled.

"Kurt, honey, your father and I have already thought about that. That's why we made it clear that it was up to Blaine and we'd support his decision either way – or, at least, we _tried_. And he wouldn't actually be your brother, so there'd be nothing wrong if you two continued to date."

Kurt shook his head a bit, as if clearing it out. "Yeah, you're right. I just – freaked out, I guess."

"Perfectly understandable, bud," Burt said. "Now do you wanna go out there and talk to him, or should I?"

Kurt wanted nothing more than to run outside and make Blaine feel better, but he knew that the only person that could convince Blaine that Burt was being honest was Burt.

"You should go, dad."

Burt nodded and got up from the table.

Blaine was sitting numbly on a bench outside Breadstix, staring into the distance. He was shocked from his reverie when Burt took the seat beside him.

"Sorry about that in there, kid," Burt said in his soft yet still gruff voice. "We thought you were ready for that." Blaine didn't say anything, so Burt continued. "You know, you can say whatever you want and Carole and I won't change our minds about you. Whatever you choose, you'll still be like a son to us."

Blaine wiped his nose on his sleeve with a sniff. "Thank you, Burt. _Really_. But I just – I can't. It's not that I don't want to, because I would give anything to be a part of such an amazing family. But I don't want to forget my past."

Burt nodded, appreciating the wisdom coming from such a young man. "I get it, kid. Now, do you want to come back inside for dessert?"

Blaine laughed a bit as the tension disappeared and stood up. He and Burt stood facing each other for a moment before Blaine reached out and hugged Burt more tightly than ever before.

"Thank you," he whispered.

* * *

It seemed like that was the topic on everyone's minds once they returned to school after regionals.

In glee club, Mr. Schue went up to the board and wrote _Families _in large letters.

"This weekend at regionals, how you guys all worked together and supported each other, really proved to me how much of a family you are. So this week, I want this to be our lesson. How families support each other and love each other. How they work together and mend conflict when differences arise. I want each of you to sing a song that is either about your family or dedicated to your family, alright?"

Blaine didn't hear much else after Mr. Schue's words. The whole room seemed to go foggy and echo-y as he remembered his last night with his family.

_"Mom, dad, there's something – something I need to tell you," Blaine said as he put away the dinner dishes._

_"Oh?" Mrs. Anderson said, turning away from the soapy water in the sink to look at her son. "What's that, Blainey?"_

_"I, um, it's just – for a long time, I've known I was different. And at first I didn't really know how. But over the past couple of years, I – uh – I figured it out, I guess. And I know it's not exactly what you want to hear, but I promise you, I'm still the same as I've always been."_

_Across the room, Mr. Anderson's eyes narrowed, but be said nothing._

_"It's just – mom, dad, I'm – gay."_

_The room was deadly silent._

_"Please – please say something?" Blaine begged weakly._

_"No," Mr. Anderson said, standing up from his chair. Anger seemed to radiate from his being._

_"Wh-what?"_

_"No. You're not. No son of mine will be a fag!"_

_"Dad!" Blaine exclaimed. He turned to his mother to beg for her support, but froze when he saw the expression on her face. It was one of frozen disgust and disbelief, but it was not directed at her husband. It was directed at her son._

_"Please," he tried again. "Please, I'm still the same! Nothing has changed! I still like watching football and stuff, I just would rather be with another boy than a girl!"_

_"That is not acceptable behaviour, Blaine Devon Anderson!" Mr. Anderson roared. "I did not raise you this way. I refuse to allow someone who practices such perverted fantasies to live under my roof!"_

_"Fine!" Blaine roared back. "Fine. If you can't accept me, maybe I _should_ just leave."_

_"Maybe you should," Mr. Anderson snarled._

_Blaine's jaw dropped. He hadn't meant that. He quickly swivelled around to see his mother, but her expression hadn't changed._

_"Didn't you hear me? Get out! Get out of my house, you ungrateful little fag, and don't even think about crawling back!"_

_"Okay then!" Blaine said. "If you don't want a fag for a son, I guess you don't have a son anymore!"_

_He ran up the stairs and threw the first things he could get his hands on into his backpack before running out the front door and slamming it behind him._

_Blaine never looked back._

What song could he possibly sing to his family? Maybe Lily Allen's _Fuck You_ would work, but Mr. Schue probably wouldn't appreciate the language.

A warmth in his hand shook Blaine from his thoughts, and he looked over to see Kurt watching him with concern.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shrugged.

* * *

Study hall was once again spent scouring the internet, trying to find the perfect song. Some just seemed too easy, some too heavy. But none seemed to really capture what Blaine wanted to say.

Until, finally, in the comment thread on a years-old yahoo!answers question, Blaine found it. He read the lyrics, he watched performances, he changed the chords to fit him.

It was as if they were writing about him, his life, what had happened the day he'd left.

* * *

When glee club performances started in the auditorium the next day, Blaine tried to tune out his friends as much as possible. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude, but he didn't think he would be able to make it through the week otherwise.

He did listen in to the beautiful duet that Kurt and Finn performed, however. There was a part of him that wished they had invited him to join their number, but another part that knew he had to do this on his own.

Finally, it was nearing the end of Friday's class, and Blaine was the only one who hadn't gone. He had given the sheet music to the band earlier in the week, so they were ready when he stood at center stage.

Unlike Rachel, Mercedes, and many of the other club members, Blaine didn't have any fancy theatrics to go with his performance. He simply had an icy blue spotlight on an otherwise dark stage.

There were some confused looks as the music began and it was a bit more rock than anyone had been expecting, but they all decided to go with it. But when Blaine opened his mouth to begin singing, everything changed.

He was instantly transported back to his kitchen, back to that day so long ago and yet still so fresh in his memory.

_Dear Mom and Dad,  
I've been making plans  
To leave this house and yes I'm sure  
So lock the door, and turn the front porch lights out_

He could feel the grain of the wood of the front door and hear his beating heart and the slap of his feet against the pavement. He hadn't looked back.

He almost wished he could have.

_After all the endless fights  
The who's been wrong and who's been right  
We just never saw eye to eye_

They had had a pretty good - if somewhat detached - relationship before then. Blaine and his father were distant, but could still talk about football. He was courteous to his parents, but had been forced to keep away from them when he came out at school to such disastrous results.

_So there's no need to apologize  
Don't wait up, I'll be fine  
If you could see inside my head  
Maybe you could understand  
That I'm better off  
I'm better off gone_

They understood, alright. Blaine just wished that there had been a moment after he had left when his parents had looked to each other and said, "_What have we done?"_

But that fantasy was shot down as soon as they had signed him over to the state.

_Dear Mom and Dad,  
I've been making plans  
To leave your house and yes I'm sure  
That nothing's wrong, so just be strong on my way out_

Those words were for the 15-year-old who had run out of his house with no money, no food, and only the clothes on his back and a few _Goosebumps_ books. _Be strong_, Blaine told his younger self, remembering the first night he had slept outside. Remembering the first time he had stolen from a convenience store because he didn't have enough money and he was starving. Remembering every night when he went to sleep and wished not to wake up again.

_Maybe you could understand  
That I'm better off gone  
I'm better off gone 'cause we don't see eye to eye_

The blue spotlight on Blaine went out as the music faded away. But he made no move, and the audience remained in stunned silence. It was then that he realized there were silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

As the house lights slowly came back to life, Blaine came to his senses. He realized where he was, who he was with, and what he had just done. And he ran.

"Wait, Blaine!" Kurt's voice faintly followed Blaine as he escaped the labyrinthine backstage and charged down the school hallway.

He considered stopping, waiting in an empty classroom until the day resumed, but he couldn't. He couldn't stand one more minute of letting people see _him_.

So he barged out the front door and ran.

After a few minutes, the streets began to look familiar. Blaine turned corners without thinking and ran over hills as if it was natural. All too soon, he ended up back at his bridge in Hoyt Park. He collapsed on the ground, still firm from the winter frost, and let himself weep.

* * *

To say that the New Directions were surprised by Blaine's performance was putting it lightly.

"Well, he was just as good as usual, but that was a little … heavy," Tina offered diplomatically.

"Kurt, do you know what's going on?" Rachel asked, looking pointedly at the boy.

Kurt and Finn exchanged shifty glances before Finn spoke up, surprising everyone.

"Blaine - he's had some problems with his family, and he'll talk about it if he wants to."

"That sounds like a very good idea, Finn. Now, why don't you guys work on - on something while I quick talk to Kurt and Finn, okay?" Mr. Schue suggested.

It was an odd request, but due to the circumstances, they agreed without complaint.

"Now, I don't mean to pry," Mr. Schue said to Kurt and Finn when they reached the hallway, "but I couldn't help but notice that your parents are listed as Blaine's guardians here."

Kurt looked down. "He's staying with us, so they have temporary guardianship," he said simply.

"Is there something going on? Something that I should be aware of?"

"Not if Blaine doesn't want you to know."

"Okay," Mr. Schue said. "Now, I'm guessing that you want to go find him?"

Kurt nodded and ran off.

But when he returned to the auditorium ten minutes later, alone and out of breath, everyone could tell that something was wrong.

"Blaine's gone," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Where would he go?"

"Why?"

"What was going on with him?"

"Guys! Shut UP!" Finn roared.

"You guys know that Blaine doesn't like talking about personal stuff," Kurt said. "It was probably too much that he shared, and then he panicked. I'm just worried about him. I don't know where he is."

"Let's go," Mr. Schue said without a second thought.

They all managed to pile into four cars which drove around the city. But after a few hours, when no one had found anything, they regrouped at the Hummel house."

"I just don't know where he'd go!" Kurt wailed. "I mean, it wouldn't be the - oh my God."

"What? Kurt, what's going on?" Mercedes asked. Kurt had just stood up in complete silence and began running his hands through his hair.

"I know where he is," he said.

Everyone jumped in their cars and followed Kurt as he drove across the town and parked on Hoyt Street.

"The park?" Quinn questioned. "Why here?"

"It's like home for him," Kurt answered simply, not elaborating on the double meaning of that statement.

He led the New Directions through the woods and along the path that he barely remembered. Kurt was sure he had led them astray when he caught sight of the bridge. As soon as he saw it, he sprinted towards it, abandoning his friends behind him.

If they were surprised by Kurt's sudden sprint, it was nothing compared to when he practically jumped down the bank.

"Blaine!" Kurt said when he found his boyfriend curled up on the cold ground. "What are you doing here? Are you _insane_? You could have frozen to death!"

"Kurt, I spent the majority of the winter sleeping here," Blaine said levelly, but his voice was a bit stuffy. "I don't think one afternoon is going to kill me."

"Don't think I'm going to let you off easy," Kurt threatened, "just because I'm glad to have found you. Everyone's been going crazy trying to find you since you ran off! Don't do that to me again!"

"Apparently, running is a thing I do."

"Oh. No, Blaine, baby, no. I didn't mean - I mean, it's -"

"No, Kurt, it's fine."

"No, it's not. Because I've been freaking out about you, but the first thing I do when I find you is shout because I'm trying to, I don't know, hide my vulnerability?"

Blaine chuckled wetly.

"Come here," Kurt said, pulling Blaine into a deep hug. "I was so worried about you, Blaine. Never do that again. You aren't allowed to leave me ever again."

"I won't, Kurt. I promise."

* * *

Song is "Escape from the A-Bomb House" by Less Than Jake


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the New Directions ran over to the side of the creek in time to see Blaine helping Kurt scramble up the incline.

"Blaine!" Tina exclaimed happily, running forward to hug him and bury her tear-stained face in his shoulder. Soon after, the rest followed suit.

Kurt and Finn were left on the side, watching their friends embrace.

"How'd you know he'd be here?" Finn asked.

"It's where he was living before," Kurt replied in a low voice. "He showed me on our first date."

"_Here_?" Finn asked, looking scandalized. "But it's so … dirty and cold!"

"Well, Finn, that's what happens when you're homeless!" Kurt hissed.

The hug was breaking up, and Blaine wandered back over to Kurt's side.

"I, uh, I guess I should tell you guys what's going on," Blaine whispered.

"No, Blaine, you don't owe them anything," Kurt said quickly.

"But I do," Blaine said earnestly, looking up at Kurt. "Maybe not as much as I owe you, as I owe your family, but they gave up their entire afternoon just to look for - for me. That's a lot more than some other people can say."

Kurt nodded and slipped an encouraging hand around Blaine's waist. "Do you want to go back home, or should we do this here?"

Blaine paused, looked around. "Let's go home."

They walked through the woods silently, surrounded only by the crack of branches. Finally, in a low voice, Blaine broke the silence as he spoke to Kurt. "You know, there was something else that I had wanted to show you there."

"What?"

"It's just - every night, when you're sleeping on the streets, you worry that it might be your last. Either because it's so cold, or you're afraid of the world."

"Blaine -" Kurt began, but Blaine silenced him with a squeeze to his hand.

"I just wanted to make sure, everywhere I was, that if I didn't make it, there would be something in this world that remembered me. Because I knew that my family and everyone back there - they wouldn't.

"I left my initials or a small message everywhere I slept for an extended time. I wanted to show you that, so you could remember it too."

"Hey," Kurt said, stopping abruptly. The rest of the group continued on, unaware, in front of the two boys. "There is absolutely no force in the world that could make me forget you."

Blaine smiled and looked down to the ground. "Kurt," he said. "I've - I've never felt this way about another person in my life, and I know this might be really soon, and you probably don't feel the same way, but I - I love you, Kurt. So, so much."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what being in love felt like, but if the warm swelling in his chest was any indication - "I love you too, Blaine."

The two boys kissed deeply in the middle of the woods.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Rachel asked from the backseat of the car. Mike was driving, Tina was in the passenger seat, and Mercedes was next to her.

"I don't know, I'm just following Finn and Kurt and Blaine," Mike said, but he, too, was a bit confused.

"I thought we were going to Blaine's house."

But they pulled over in front of Kurt and Finn's house and followed the three boys inside. Carole and Burt were inside, sitting around the kitchen table, and looked a bit surprised when they saw all the kids pouring into their house.

"We're just going to be talking for a while," Kurt explained. When Burt and Carole still looked puzzled, he elaborated. "Blaine's going to talk."

"Of course," Carole said, nodding. "Should we go upstairs, give you kids some space?"

Kurt and Finn looked to Blaine who just shrugged.

"We'll go," she said.

Kurt, Finn, and Blaine walked into the living room where everyone else was waiting somewhat patiently.

"So," Blaine said, voice a bit raw, "you guys heard my song. That's basically how I feel about my family."

Silence.

"I ran away from home when I was 15," Blaine explained, ignoring the shocked expressions on his friends' faces. "That's why I hadn't been at school for a while - why I - why I dropped out."

"Why?" Quinn asked.

"I came out to my parents," he answered simply. "They weren't happy, and - my dad told me to get out. So I did." He didn't look up, didn't want to see the expressions on his friends' faces.

"I ran as far as I could before I couldn't run anymore, and I ended up sleeping in a park one town over. I kept doing that, trying to find a job, or asking for money from people on the streets. I came to Lima about a year later. The bridge where Kurt found me today - that's where I was living. I was almost ready to give up and leave when Burt hired me. And then - they found out. They helped me, and got temporary guardianship, so I've been living here since January."

Kurt's grip on Blaine's hand was so tight that it was threatening to cut off circulation. But Blaine never wanted that warmth to leave him.

When Blaine looked up at the New Directions, most looked shocked and sad. But Santana was looking at him with a terrified, knowing stare.

"I saw you," she whispered.

"What?" Blaine asked. Kurt's face mirrored the shock he felt, he knew.

"In - in November, maybe? I was going to the grocery store. You were outside the pharmacy across the street, and I walked past you." Her voice was hollow. "You asked me for food and I ignored you."

Blaine thought back to November, back to the unusually cold Autumn days right before he had started working at the shop, when he had almost given up hope.

_Every time someone walked into the pharmacy, the door swung open and a gush of warm air wafted over Blaine's shivering body. He was wearing all his layers and had his blanket hanging off his shoulders, but he was still freezing, still shaking. His numb fingers clutched tightly to the few coins that he had collected - but still were not enough for anything._

_Each gust of warm air filled Blaine with a new hope that maybe this person would notice him. But people just walked past._

_The grocery store across the street was teasing him, with the ads in the window showing beautiful turkey dinners and gloriously fresh fruit. Blaine's mouth watered as he followed a figure walking from the store with his eyes._

_She came to the corner and looked for cars before jogging across the street, holding her plastic bags close. Her eyes raked over Blaine when she came to him, and his heart jumped, thinking that this might be the person to help him._

_"Ex-excuse me?" he coughed. "Please, do you have any food?" He hated how pathetic he sounded. "Just a little."_

_Her eyes froze on him for a moment longer before filling with a bit of fear. She quickly turned and stalked away._

"And then I saw you at school with Hummel and you looked so familiar," Santana continued. "And all I could do was hope that you weren't that same kid, but also hope that you were and that things got better."

Blaine nodded numbly as he sat down. "It's okay," he whispered. "We're all taught to think of homeless people in a certain way. You were only doing what you learned to do."

"But - you just looked so _small_," Santana whispered. "Did - did you get anything that day?"

Blaine hesitated. He didn't want to lie to Santana, but he didn't want to increase her guilt. She interpreted his silence rightly.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine."

In a very un-Santana move, the girl stood up and hugged Blaine tightly. "I wish I could go back and give you something."

"Santana, it's over. I found Kurt and his family, and I got a home. Please don't dwell on this. I don't blame you at all."

The girl nodded, and Blaine could feel a few tears on his shoulder. After a moment longer, Brittany stood up and joined the hug, and soon the whole group was joined together in one large embrace.

* * *

To say that Blaine was nervous when he walked into school on Monday was an understatement. He felt like there was a spotlight on him and like suddenly everyone knew his secret. Of course, rationally, he knew that no one from glee club would tell, but he was still nervous.

When glee club rolled around, Blaine was surprised to find that they were in the auditorium again. He was even more surprised when Kurt led him on stage and sat him on a stool in the center.

Blaine tried asking Kurt for info, but his boyfriend wasn't saying anything. "You'll see," was all the Kurt would cryptically reply.

Then the music began and his friends each joined him on stage one by one. They were barely halfway through the song, and Blaine was crying. A hand slipped into his, and he didn't even have to look to know it was Kurt's. On Kurt's other side, Finn and Rachel joined. Then Santana took Blaine's free hand. Soon all the New Directions were linked, carrying the last note in the otherwise silent auditorium.

"Thank you guys," Blaine tearfully managed when the music ended.

"We just wanted to remind you that _we_ are your family," Kurt whispered.


	9. Epilogue

Kurt and Blaine woke up early on the first official day of summer. Most of their classmates would probably look at them and question their sanity, but the boys had a plan - and only a few free days before Blaine was due to start summer school. While Blaine looked over a few printouts, Kurt packed a picnic lunch. Then they quietly snuck out of the house and piled into Kurt's car.

They drove for a while, Blaine occasionally referencing the maps he'd printed and looking out the window for familiar sights. When they passed a brick school building over two hours later, Blaine's breath caught in his throat.

"Turn left here."

Kurt complied without question, and followed the drive into the car park.

"This was my school," Blaine whispered, looking out the window at the edifice that looked so empty without hundreds of teenagers stomping through the grounds.

Kurt nodded silently.

"I always looked forward to high school. You know, it's so glamorous on TV and in movies. I thought I was going to grow up and become this intelligent, athletic, funny guy who was well-liked by everyone - and who had an amazing boyfriend. I think I was wrong on all counts except that last one."

"Blaine, you are perfect to me, and I wouldn't change a thing about you," Kurt whispered.

Blaine turned to Kurt, still disbelieving that he had found such a perfect person - his soulmate. "Can we move on now?" he asked timidly.

Kurt immediately started the car back up and they drove out of the lot. This was a much shorter ride before Blaine started giving Kurt directions.

"Take a right here - no, damn, this isn't right. Uh, maybe up there? Can you turn on that street?"

Kurt patiently did as Blaine instructed, and finally they pulled up in front of a park. They linked hands as soon as they were out of the car.

To an onlooker, it would have appeared to be a young couple in love taking casual stroll through the park. But onlookers couldn't see how tightly Blaine gripped Kurt's hand or the stiffness in his jaw as they approached a small grouping of bushes and trees.

"Here," Blaine said, stepping into the middle of the space.

Kurt stood to the side as Blaine stepped around for a moment before sinking to the ground.

"This is where I spent my first night away from home."

"How long were you here?"

"Only a couple of days," Blaine replied. "I was too nervous and too inexperienced to really figure out what to do. I kinda just sat in the park during the day and fought with myself about going back home. And then I ran again."

Blaine placed his palm flat on the trunk of the tree and looked up the the sky, watching as the sunlight filtered through the green leaves and painted the ground.

"It's a lot more beautiful on this side of desperate," he whispered.

Kurt took that as his cue to join his boyfriend. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, resting his head on the shorter boy's shoulder. "We don't have to do this, you know, if it's too hard for you."

"I know," Blaine replied in a surprisingly steady voice. "But I want to. I want you to see it all. All of me."

* * *

They drove another twenty minutes until they were in the center of another small town, barely an hour from Blaine's childhood home. This town, however, looked like it had been hit by the recent economic crash a bit more than others.

"This was where I really learned how to do it," Blaine explained, leading Kurt up and down the streets in the downtown. "There are a lot of homeless people here, and this one woman … she kinda took me under her wing. Said I reminded her of her son who - who died overseas. She tried to give me his dog tags, but I - I couldn't take that from her.

"Anyway, it was probably the second or third night I was here and I was hanging out in the alley behind that restaurant," Blaine said, pointing to an American buffet across the street, "and she walked by. I think she was _going out_ - I mean, she was dressed - and her makeup - but she stopped when she saw me. I was so hungry, and she just asked me what was wrong. And I broke. I started crying and I told her everything, and she just held me until I stopped crying and then she bought me a slice of pizza and took me back to the building where she and a bunch of other people squatted."

"How long were you here?" Kurt asked.

"A month," Blaine said. "I wanted to stay longer, but Linda - that's the woman - she started to get real bad. I guess she was into drugs, too, some real hard stuff, and I couldn't just watch her do that to herself. So one night I packed up and told her that I had to do this by myself. I can still hear her sometimes. She cried, and said I was just like her son, leaving her alone again."

Blaine's face was stony the entire time he was talking, and his pace had quickened. But as they approached an old office building - in a very sorry state - he slowed to a stop.

"This was it," Blaine said.

"Do you want to go in?" Kurt asked. "Maybe - maybe Linda's still here."

Blaine shrugged, but began walking up the cracked path to the side of the building. He found the back door and kicked it in like he was so used to and led Kurt inside.

It was like nothing Kurt had ever seen before. The building was dark and damp and smelled awful. There were a few people or signs of people in corners of the rooms, but Blaine ignored it all as he walked over the the stairs and began to climb. At the top, the fourth floor, Blaine froze, looking around. Following his lead, Kurt inspected the space as well. There were a few ripped mattresses on the ground and tarps over the windows. He could see piles of clothes and blankets and smell cigarette smoke.

Blaine slowly walked over to a wall and stopped right beneath the window. He bent down and ran his hand over the cracked drywall, then paused.

"Here," he whispered to Kurt. "Look."

Kurt squinted his eyes to try to discern what Blaine was pointing to in the dark. Then his eyes fell on it.

_I was Blaine Anderson._

"'I was'?" Kurt asked carefully.

"I didn't know who I was then. I still don't really know now. I mean, I don't consider myself to be an Anderson anymore. Plus, you know, I didn't know if the next morning I would be an 'I am' or an 'I was' when I lived out here."

"Hey, who's over there?" a scratchy voice sounded from the stairwell.

Blaine turned around, and his stomach dropped. Standing before him was a woman who retained so little of her former beauty. Her blonde hair hung long and ragged by her shoulders and her cheeks were sunken and gaunt.

"Linda?" he asked carefully.

"Who's asking?"

"It's me. It's … Blaine." He stepped closer to her so she could see better, leaving Kurt waiting by the window.

"Little B?" she asked with a gasp.

"...Hi."

"What happened to you, kid?"

Blaine was close to tears as he watched the woman walk over to a mattress and pull out a cigarette. "I moved around for a while. Got a job." He smiled a bit. "Met the love of my life."

"I tolja, kid, I said it. I knew you were better'n us."

"How've you been?" Blaine asked carefully.

"The usual." Linda took a long drag from her cigarette.

"Listen," Blaine said suddenly, pulling his backpack around, "I brought some stuff. I don't know if you want it or need it, but I - I think about you a lot. Everything you taught me. You saved me out here, Linda."

The woman cracked a smile, her eyes lighting up ever so slightly.

"I don't need anything, kid. I'm good here."

"Please," Blaine begged. He dropped to his knees and pulled a pack of baby wipes, a few boxes of granola bars, and a water bottle from his bag. "It's not a lot, but - just take it?"

"Sure thing, kid."

Blaine was relieved as he stood up, even if Linda made no movement to grab the items.

"I'm glad you came back. I was real worried about you out there," she said after another moment. Then she turned her head to Kurt who had previously been silent and mostly invisible during the interaction. "You take good care of him now, alright?"

"Of course," Kurt said, stepping close to Blaine. "Thank you for watching over him."

"Ah, I got a soft spot for kids," she said, but everyone could see the emotion in her eyes even as she tried to brush over it.

"Just - be careful, okay?" Blaine said, his final parting words.

* * *

After the squatters' building, Kurt and Blaine visited another park with _Blaine Anderson lived _written in the bright yellow tunnel, then a trash-filled parking lot where _BA was here _was peeling from the bricks of the neighboring building that it was painted on, and even more places than Kurt wanted to think about his boyfriend spending freezing nights in.

Around noon, they stopped at an insignificant park for their picnic lunch before continuing on their slow journey through small-town Western Ohio.

It was dusk when they arrived back in Lima, and Kurt knew instinctively to drive to Hoyt Park rather than heading straight home. Perhaps it was because they had both taken this walk before, or because they knew that this was the end, the place where everything turned around, but this final journey was lighter than the rest.

Once again, Blaine clambered down the creek bank and then helped Kurt follow. They sat back for a moment to simply listen to the water bubbling over the rocks in the quiet summer night.

"You know, if I hadn't seen that sign in your dad's shop window, I never would have gone in. I'd've probably left Lima within a few days and then … I'd still be out there somewhere," Blaine said.

"But you did. You went in and then you found me," Kurt whispered.

"You saved me, Kurt," Blaine whispered.

They leaned in and kissed long and hard. The moonlight and park lighting above just barely managed to illuminate _Blaine Anderson Lives! _written on the side of the bridge.

Hidden in Hoyt Park, two boys saved each other, found love, and lived.


	10. Update!

I have some really exciting news about Hidden in Hoyt Park - especially exciting for any Russian readers I might have! The amazing and wonderful Katia has just begun translating this into Russian. She is spectacular and I'm assuming that the Russian translation is beautiful - I don't know anything about the language, so I can't vouch for that - but from the way she talks about writing, I know she will do a fantastic job.

Everyone should go check out Katia's profile on here (her pen name is Merlinka). She has a link to other fics that she's written and translated (in Russian, of course). And check out the beginning of her translation of HIHP (if you understand Russian, that is) on ficbook: /readfic/1228275 (add that after "ficbook dot net")


End file.
